The authorship of Le Morte d'Arthur has long been in dispute, although for practical purposes, the actual identity of Thomas Malory is now less important than the literary folklore that surrounds this individual. Traditionally, this text has been credited to Thomas Malory, a knight, who was born in about 1410 in Warwickshire, England. As a young man, Malory is said to have served with the Earl of Warwick's forces in Calais, and later, succeeded to his father's estate in 1433 or 1434, probably when he was in his twenties. Shortly after, Malory married, although there is little reliable information about his personal life with his wife, Elizabeth. There is evidence of one child, a son, Robert, although there may have been more. There are, however, accounts of Malory's imprisonment, which followed what appeared to be a fairly respectable existence. After inheriting his father's estate, and a second estate a...